SC strippers sue clubs over wages

COLUMBIA— A group of strippers is suing several South Carolina nightclubs, saying they weren’t paid according to federal standards.

The lawsuit filed in federal court earlier this year accuses clubs in Columbia and Greenville of violating minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Club operators deny the allegations and say the dancers were independent contractors who were paid fairly. Last month, the operators filed a counterclaim seeking dance fees the strippers received, in addition to their regular wages.

The lawsuit was first reported by The State newspaper.

The case is similar to others filed around the country. In September, a federal judge in New York City ruled that exotic dancers at a club there are protected by labor laws and entitled to at least a minimum wage.

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"In September, a federal judge in New York City ruled that exotic dancers at a club there are protected by labor laws and entitled to at least a minimum wage."
.....This ought to be enforced at restaurants too

I THINK that the labor laws exempt servers, since the bulk of their wages come from tips. I agree though, pay them what they are worth and stop this tipping crap. I am a fairly generous tipper because it is typically young people and/or single parents just trying to make a living, but it galls me that the system makes it an expectation.

If they do exceptional work like "Weezie" at the Ale House, pay them more per hour; if you get complaints about service, fire them.

Tipping should be a gratuity for good service.. it should not be main source of their income and a way to exempt restaurant owners from paying workers a minimum wage. And considering how many lousy tippers or no tippers you have in Augusta, a server could work an eight hour shift and make all of $30

Strippers working for minimum wage? I don't care if you raise the min to 20 per hour, strippers make waaaay more than that.

Most waitresses/waiters make more than minimum also - unless they suck!

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face - I higher min, means more payroll tax that has to be paid, and higher menu cost, which probably means less to the servers - but hey - don't let reality get in the way!

My 20 year old son is a waiter, and has been for a mere 8 months. He has personality and drive. He waits his tables with the utmost efficentcy. He dose not work Sunday lunch(Christians are the worst tippers and this embarrasses me as a Christian). His weekend is Monday and Tuesday. His tip rate average is 28%. He takes home 400$ a day and his weekly check for his restaurant minimum wage is 102$. Not bad for a student.
I met a young girl at our church that was hesitant to come in because she had been a stripper for the past 5 years. I took her in our coffee bar and told her Jesus loves all, then read her the scripture about Jesus at the well with the prostitute. She started being a regular visitor. Within six months she was baptized into the fellowship of Christ. She made a very large contribution the same day and said it was 10 percent of what she had earned prior to being saved. She is now waiting tables and going to school. She is making good as a waitress but only about 12% of what she made stripping. I went around my elbow to get to my point....strippers are well paid if they are willing to work. And no she was not into selling sex, she was a dancer.